Rustic charm in all its splendour in Saran LS battle

The great election pageant is in its rustic beauty in this high-profile and newly created Saran constituency of Bihar from where Union Railway minister Lalu Prasad is seeking re-election riding high on industrial investments here during the UPA regime.

The great election pageant is in its rustic beauty in this high-profile and newly created Saran constituency of Bihar from where Union Railway minister Lalu Prasad is seeking re-election riding high on industrial investments here during the UPA regime.

Prasad is challenged by former union minister and BJP leader Rajiv Pratap Rudy, who has claimed to have made inroads into this Yadav stronghold with his campaign for "change".

Bhojpuri songs, dances, masked partymen riding atop SUVs racing on the dusty roads with the party flag is a common view in this part of the country with a clear demarcation of villages supporting a particular candidate divided on the lines of the caste. "People are vying for a change. I have been invited to Yadav dominated villages which were said to be Lalu Prasad's stronghold. Caste rhetorics are taking a backseat," Rudy says.

BJP chief Rajnath Singh further electrified the campaign scene on Monday with a promise to allot Rudy a senior cabinet portfolio if voted to power. "You should be rest assured that you will still have a senior union minister after you defeat Lalu Prasad Yadav. I can promise you that your representative Rajiv Pratap Rudy will be allotted a senior cabinet portfolio," Singh said addressing a public rally in Dighwara village in Bihar.